Friday, December 16, 2011

I. AM. EXHAUSTED.

I have no idea if it is the season, the weather, or what, but I am tired. All of the time. I could sleep at the drop of a hat and have to make an effort to stay awake at work. I take vitamins and supplements. I eat healthy. I could probably use more sleep but I do get 6-7 hours a night. On weekends, I can't seem to sleep past 8. I don't think I am depressed, but wow... something is definitely up!

Busy, busy week. Let me tell you about it. So, I was figuring on 3 orders for this weekend. One for a co-worker's family Christmas party. Another for a family birthday party. And another 'cold call'... someone who liked my page and was planning to order a cake for her birthday.

I started the co-worker's cake Wednesday. Baked the cake, and while it was in the oven, I did all the fondant decorations for it. I was giddy about being so on top of this order. Froze the cake, stored the fondant pieces in the oven, at my husband's suggestion, to keep the cat away from it. Thursday, I found out my co-worker didn't want it for Saturday, she wanted it for Friday. Ha! No problem! I am SET! The gingerbread man cookies had been baked, it was just a matter of decorating them with icing. I did that, let the icing harden, boxed them, stored them in the fridge. Half the order done! I start to fill and ice the cake... as I am efficiently starting dinner for myself and the kids. We are having meatball subs.

So I'm working away.. preheating the oven for the meatballs to cook, while getting the sauce ready and adding spices. I smell something sweet, but I don't give it a second thought... I'm working on a cake after all.

5 minutes later, it's smelling very strong, like burning sugar.

Light bulb goes on. OMG!

In a complete panic, I whip the oven open, to find that it's too late. My fondant pieces for my coworker's cake are melted, resembling burnt sugar and smoking. What do I do?

Cry.

And I continued crying. For at least 20 minutes.

So much for being ahead of the game. This is what I get for getting cocky about this side-business.

I sat in the living room, across from my 5 year old, Caleb. He's playing on his DS, and he knows I'm upset, but he is really, really not sure what to do. Mommy is crying, and I am SOOOO not used to this... he keeps looking over at me, until I ask him for a hug. When he does, I'm sobbing. Whole chest-heaving sobbing. Somehow, he makes me feel better.

I pull myself together. Focus on dinner again. I call my 11 year old Tyler downstairs. He comes down, asks me, "Yeah???" in that 11-year-old way. He stops. Says, "Oh noooooo!". He's spotted my idiocy. I start sobbing again, and he hugs me. I feel better... but dinner is bubbling and I have things to do. I get dinner on the table, with Tyler's help. I asked him if he could help me.. he wholeheartedly said he would help me in any way he could. Bless his heart.

I post a status update... although I am embarrassed to admit how BAD I screwed this up... hey, I'm human, it's gonna happen.

My husband gets up from his sleep in preparation for working his overnight shift.. I ask if he's seen my status. He says yes.. and there go the waterworks again. I just can't fathom how retarded I was! He comes over and hugs me. I feel better. Again.

Tyler worked tirelessly with me, helping me cut out shapes, set pieces aside on trays, washing dishes and helping me clean as we went along... and within an hour, we had all the decorations redone. Problem was, they weren't hardened like the first batch, which was how they were supposed to be, for stacking the star-shaped fondant into a tree-shape. I went ahead and put it all together anyway... I was too drained and emotionally charged to spend any more time on it... and there is no way I could get up an hour earlier to put it all together. It was finally complete.

So there went the personal family baking I was planning on doing. There goes the second cake I was going to start. There goes the rest and relaxation I so desperately needed. And I totally, completely slept like the dead, only to get up... on time, instead of hitting snooze 3 times... to have the order picked up, well before I was usually ready for work.

But this is where the story changes, friends.

When the clients showed up to pick up her order at that ungodly hour, the reaction from her and her husband was, "Holy CRAP!"

Being professional, I kept my mouth shut except to say "Thank you!".

Those words, that reaction was worth every tear I shed over this cake.

Too dramatic? Maybe. But I put my heart into every cake, every order, every time. Being a perfectionist is difficult, but if I think it looks okay, everyone else seems to be wowed by it... and THAT makes me appreciate ever single second I put into it. I made someone's day! Go ME! Go family.. I could NOT have done it without Tyler... omg... he was a total lifesaver. <3

The second cake, for family, turned out amazing, with no mishaps. It's presently boxed in the spare fridge we bought just for this reason.

The third order fell through. I never received a confirmation from her and I was already crunched for time, not to mention EXHAUSTED! I couldn't do another cake this weekend if I wanted to. It might be different if I had tubs of icing sitting around, waiting to be used... or an abundance of fondant waiting for me... but that's not the case... but DAMN, how it could make things easier lol!

Anyway, this is turning into one of my novels... Two glasses of sauv-blanc and a shower, I'm going to pass out into a coma.

Goodnight friends... Hope you all have a great weekend!

Stay sweet!

D

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Gotta love repeat customers!

Because they can help you to fine-tune your product!

On the phone with this particular repeat customer, as she was describing how she wanted her son's birthday cake, she was a wealth of ideas, right down to the buttercream icing. I love it when people make it this easy! I never would have considered adding whipped cream to the buttercream to change the texture (it tasted the same, it was just fluffier!) I was darn proud of how the cake turned out, and with the feedback I received, I know the recipient was too!

One month away from Christmas, and I know I'm going to be busy. With an order of gingerbread cookies and a fancy Christmas cake to make, in addition to my own Christmas baking, decorating, not to mention my wedding anniversary is coming up... I have a full plate.. no wonder I'm exhausted just thinking about it! LOL! Wouldn't change a thing though! It keeps me going!

I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year... I've been feeling the spirit, especially at work, since they've begun playing Christmas music... however, I'm having a hard time feeling that way at home, especially on my walk home from work, with all this mild weather, and some flowers still blooming, it just feels too early to decorate when there is no snow, and you can walk outside in just a light sweater and be fine! Ahh, but I know the weather's going to get colder this week, so maybe we'll decorate with the kids by the weekend :) It will be interesting to see what our cat thinks of everything, since this will be her first Christmas! I'm sure she will want to sleep under the tree like our other cats used to, years and years ago!

Off I go, to bake or clean something! Stay sweet! <3

Sunday, November 13, 2011

How can 2 cakes make me busy the entire day long?

Cake was not my friend yesterday... but I came, I saw and I conquered. Red velvet was giving me issues all week long, and then I realized halfway through the day, I was clean out of red food colouring, so I sent my son to the store for the first time by himself. He wasn't too sure about it at first, but had no issues, and totally saved the day!

Regrets? Not a one! I thoroughly enjoyed making both cakes, even if it was time-consuming! The second cake was kind of a spur-of-the-moment order and Devin wasn't sure if I'd accept it, since it was short-notice and I had another one due already... but the challenge was fun! I think the biggest difference in doing cakes at a store and doing them at home is that at home, everything is home-made... I don't have buckets of icing kicking around and boxes of pre-made cakes.... it's definitely a challenge but the taste of it is worth it, as is the final appearance of the cake! Always worth the time! And I spent today giving myself some much-needed pampering... hair treatment, mani-pedi... sooo worth it!

On the cake horizon, not a lot coming up... I have a Christmas cake order, but until then, I'll just see what pops up!

The next couple of weeks will be just baking for family, and to the ever-present question, "Looks good, mom... IS IT FOR US?" the answer will be YES! :D

Stay sweet!
D

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Cakes I bake!

Just finished a thing of beauty...  I've made a Reese peanut butter cake before, but I've totally improved it! I made the cake chocolatey-er, yet not as sweet... I added mini pb cups to the batter, and topped it with pb cups and Hershey kisses... I can't stand pb and chocolate together, but I have to admit, this cake was amazing!

I've decided that even on weekends when I don't have orders to fill, I'll be baking cakes or cupcakes or cookies for my family. I think that by doing this, it will allow me to come up with more options, perfect the recipes I'm using and stay in touch with followers of my FB site :) Anything that gets my name out there is a plus!

Oh, and I'm having business cards done up by a friend... I have some that I've made myself, but we're kind of helping each other out. She needs to build a portfolio, as she's a graphic designer, and I need some exposure, so this can only be seen as a good thing, in my book! I can't wait to see what she's come up with! But it might be a bit before she actually has time to work on it... she's the friend who's getting married, I mentioned her in a previous post :)

So yes, life is good. We're having familyChristmas photos done tomorrow. So I spent my morning making sure my men were groomed... haircuts all around! My poor husband hadn't had his hair cut in WELL over a month and was starting to look homeless. Yes, I said it... and even though he'd hate my putting that here, he knows he can't disagree lol!

So there you have it! I think my next creation will be a vanilla mint cake... see if anyone wants to take a bite of that! :)

Stay sweet!
D

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Wow October was SO busy!

I cannot believe I am sitting down after the whirlwind I've had these past few weeks! I've had personal cake orders every weekend this month, which has been awesome! To be able to share someone's day with them is truly a blessing. If I were still working full time in the bakery, I would never have been able to accomplish that! Thank goodness I got out of there because I have time now to focus on the important things in my life, my family being at the top of that list!

So, here's a cake with cupcakes I made for a Halloween party we attended.. they were sooo yummy!



It was an easy enough cake to make, but it was a little time-consuming on an already busy day at home. So much fun though... I never regret a cake I've made, but I usually feel I could have done better... it must be the perfectionist in me.



So I've recently become interested in Pampered Chef. Have you ever tried their products? My friend Angela invited us to a party she was hosting in October and I was very impressed with the stoneware. So I had a party as well, and bought some cool things... even my husband is excited to receive them lol! I really want the deep covered baker and hope I've earned enough to get the discount on it! I have yet to try a cake in my 9X13 dish but I think I'll have to try it soon... inquiring minds (and mouths in my household) want to know what it'll be like!

I am excited for November. It's going to be quieter (at least from the way it looks right now), and I'll be able to better focus on Christmas. I was off to a great start in September, but then my husband had a surgery and was off from work for 3 weeks, so it threw my entire routine out of whack because instead of doing what I would normally do on any given day, I wanted to take advantage of spending time with him because he was home. It's a double-edged sword, I think. Crave the time together almost all the time, but when I get it, I can't do what I need to get done! LOL!

Have a couple of cakes in the works for this month... a wedding to attend: I am so excited, it's two co-workers that met on the job! <3 So cute!

Until next time, be sweet! :)

Friday, October 7, 2011

Jealousy sucks...

... doesn't it? Especially when you are the innocent party. It makes you sad that someone can't find it within themselves to grow up and just be happy for you, instead they do whatever they can to bring you down. And it's not like they are suffering in their role, either. But they just can't stand to see you succeed. This is the situation I'm in right now. It sucks.

On a lighter note, it's Thanksgiving. I am thankful for so much right now. I am thankful for my family, first and foremost. Without Devin and our boys, I would be lost. These men in my life, they ground me, and make me see what's important. I consider myself extremely lucky that I am so loved by these guys :) At the end of the day, coming home and being with them, it's all that matters. All the crap that is dealt with during the day, it all gets swept aside (after a thorough rehashing over the dinner table, of course lol) and then it's just us. Content to be together.

I am thankful for my health. I've been blessed with good health *fingers crossed* and I hope it stays that way. I am also thankful for my job. Not everyone can say they have a job that they've had under their belt for over 10 years. I am very, very lucky. I'm thankful for my marriage. Almost 14 years, and not a day goes by that I regret it. This is home!

I am thankful for my family. Both sides of my family. My in-laws have helped us countless times, no questions asked... they simply are where we need them to be when we need them to be there. I'm thankful for my parents, even though they live so, so far away and I miss them. Every. Single. Day. Not a day goes by that I don't think to myself, Man, I need to tell them about this!

I am thankful for all of my friends. Albeit, many are work friends, or have been, in the past, and we've stayed in touch :) They know me, and like me anyway!

Happy Thanksgiving, friends and family. Each of you are a very important part of my life. And that's not just the Chardonnay talkin' ;)

God Bless!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

What a week!

I just attended my very first Pampered Chef party last night and wow, I love the stuff they have! We had a lot of fun, as couples were invited and we had a lot of laughs and tried some yummy chicken fajitas that were cooked in about 20 minutes! Sooo, I've ordered a baking dish and booked a party! I hope a lot of people attend!

Devin is in surgery today for a hernia that's been causing him pain since our camping trip in August. A LONNNG wait, especially if you're in pain. I'm nervously waiting for him to get home so I can help him feel better and maybe feed him, he's gonna be hungry or tired, or both.

Anyway, a paid day off from work today.. got some laundry done, some housework, and I'm planning on baking the s'mores cake for Thanksgiving dessert this weekend, and some crockpot meatloaf for dinner. YUM! I can't wait!

Well, there's no time like the present!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

So a little about me...

I do enough to tire my friends and family out, and it's no wonder why I sleep so well!

I am married to my wonderful husband, Devin, and we're coming up to our 14th anniversary. We have two boys, Tyler, who is eleven, and Caleb, who is five. They keep me on my toes, and there's never a work shortage in our home. Cleaning up after three males is no one's favourite job in the world, but I can't imagine not doing it. I don't even want to think about what my house would look like lol!

Some of my interests, when I'm not working full-time, include reading, watching movies with my family, cooking, baking, crocheting, cleaning (yes, I daresay I enjoy doing it), and so many more, but my specialty is baking/cake decorating. I love to challenge myself and there are some cakes that nearly got the best of me, but the client was wowed and that is all that matters! The popular question from my boys when they see me working on a cake is, "Is that for us?". My guinea pigs.. what can I say?

An example of my work:



I've also started becoming interested in meal planning and trying to save money at the checkouts. I'm NOT an extreme couponer by any means, but that show just floors me. You gotta love it when the store gives YOU money to walk out with their items lol. But I believe I can learn something valuable from them, so I've been paying more attention to flyers and coupon sites, and just joined SuperPoints, trying to see what it's all about.

I could also write forever so, before I do, I think I'll sign off, and see where this blogging thing takes me!

TTFN
Denise